The octuptarra tri-droid, also known simply as the octuptarra droid or tri-droid and nicknamed the "virus droid" due to the biological plagues it sometimes carried, was a model of three-leggeddroidWalker manufactured by the Techno Union. Produced in a number of different sizes, including agile octuptarra combat tri-droids and gigantic octuptarra magna tri-droids, they were used by the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars.

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Characteristics

The larger and more dangerous counterpart of the DSD1 dwarf spider droid,[8] the octuptarra tri-droid,[4] also known simply as the octuptarra droid[10] or tri-droid,[1] was a model of fourth class[3]battle droid[2]walker.[11] Their large heads contained their[7] cognitive modules and sensor suite.[2] Three[7]red[5]photoreceptors allowed them to look in every direction at once, leaving them with virtually no blind spots[7] and making them almost impossible for enemy troopers to attack by surprise from behind.[2] They had an omnidirectional field of fire,[7] with typical octuptarra tri-droids being armed with three[1] rotating[2]laser cannons[6] placed equidistant below its photoreceptors[7] and around its central stalk,[1] which could spin around and lock onto targets from any side in an instant.[2] They had three triple-jointed,[7] hydraulic limbs[2] that allowed them to scale steep surfaces.[12] However, its three-legged design was its primary weakness, as if one was damaged, the entire droid would topple over.[8] In addition, they were also slow-moving and vulnerable to tripping.[7]

An octuptarra combat tri-droid on Utapau.

Octuptarra tri-droids were produced in a number of different sizes during the Clone Wars.[7] Agile, battle droid-sized versions,[2] known as octuptarra combat tri-droids,[9] stood 3.6 meters in height[2] and featured a highly-mobile chassis. Primarily used as anti-personnel platforms, certain variants stored airborne[9] biological plagues[1] in their bulbous heads, allowing them to wreak havoc on the enemy long after the unit is destroyed,[9] causing them to be nicknamed "virus droids".[1] The largest models,[2] known as octuptarra magna tri-droids, stood at 14.59 meters in height[4] and were used as combat artillery.[2] Large enough to take on heavily armoredAll Terrain Tactical Enforcers,[7] their laser cannons[8] could be replaced with chain-fed[5]missile launchers.[8] A variant of the octuptarra magna tri-droid used on the planetSkako Minor[13] was equipped with an engine at its waist,[14] creating enough thrust to allow it to hover many meters above the ground.[13]